Where does “screwballery” come from?
screwballery (English) comes from English screwball, from English Ball, from Middle English bal, from Old English beall, from English beal, from Old English hyll, from Albanian hulli, from Proto-Germanic hulliz — to rise, to be tall; hill.
Ancestry of “screwballery”, step by step
screwballery traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English screwball
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | screwball | A pitch thrown with added pressure by the index... |
| 2 | English | Ball | surname |
| 3 | Middle English | bal | A ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,... |
| 4 | Old English | beall | ball |
| 5 | English | beal | A small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather... |
| 6 | Old English | hyll | hill |
| 7 | Albanian | hulli | furrow |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hulliz | hill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kl̥Hnís | hill |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kelH- | to rise, to be tall; hill |
via English ery
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ery | — |